Good Company

Earlier in the week I said that I wasn't feeling at my brightest and best. You'll be glad (I hope) to hear that I'm feeling a bit brighter (though I do have to learn from this and behave myself), and a big part in me feeling better is the support and encouragement of family and friends, some knowingly others not. I got an invite to coffee from one colleague just when I was at my absolute nadir, without him having any idea how low I was; I got a word of encouragement from two members of the congregation relaying the positive feedback of others (something that doesn't happen too often) and a friend sent me this reflection shared by their Pastor Vincent Buchanan, at the Good Shepherd Mission last Sunday... Its an adaptation of a piece that has been doing the rounds since long before the internet was invented (don't know whether Vince adapted it himself or not), but it was helpful to me at this time and hopefully it will be helpful to someone else... It stands as a useful counterbalance to the an inappropriate reading of Hebrews 11's rollcall of the faithful, and the tendency we have to paint a picture of "victorious Christian living" that is both unbiblical and unhelpful. I was going to tweak it to put more of my "style" on it, but I've neither the time nor the energy for that at the moment, so, instead here it is exactly as it was sent to me...

'If you ever feel unworthy or inadequate then you are in good company:

Abraham lied
So did Jacob - frequently
Noah got drunk
Hosea's wife was a prostitute
Gideon doubted
So did Thomas
So did John the Baptist
Moses was a murderer
So was Paul
So was David
Who was also an adulterer
Jeremiah was a depressive
Elijah was burnt out
Jonah ran away from God
As did all the disciples, from Jesus
when he was arrested
Peter denied Jesus because he was afraid of death
Lazarus was dead
Samson had a short fuse
So did Moses
So did Peter (we could go on ...)

So, if you are aware of your own inadequacies you are in good company!'

Shalom